as in monarchs
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
the aging ruler agonized over the choice of an heir
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rulers
Across centuries, rulers who built their power on fear or oppression seemed immovable in their day.
—
John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Writers and rulers across Europe and the Americas have looked back to Virgil’s epic as a model for their own founding myths, in the construction of new nations, new colonies, new empires.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
That’s twice as long as either Patient Number 9 or Scream, his second-longest-running rulers.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The Illyrians and Romans are considered to be the first rulers of Kotor.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
In it, moving clocks tick more slowly than stationary ones, and rulers shrink.
—Don Lincoln, Big Think, 29 Aug. 2025
In failing to include governance in their future visions, the world’s rulers demonstrate a planetwide lack of imagination in local democracy and government.
—Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
The current study’s solution shows that similar tricks could work for atoms in solids, potentially leading to sensors that act like the tiniest rulers imaginable.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025
The Hanukkah celebration dates back to the second century BC when Greek rulers tried to force Jews to abandon their religion and adapt to Greek cultural practices instead.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Dec. 2024
John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Writers and rulers across Europe and the Americas have looked back to Virgil’s epic as a model for their own founding myths, in the construction of new nations, new colonies, new empires.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
That’s twice as long as either Patient Number 9 or Scream, his second-longest-running rulers.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The Illyrians and Romans are considered to be the first rulers of Kotor.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025
In it, moving clocks tick more slowly than stationary ones, and rulers shrink.
—Don Lincoln, Big Think, 29 Aug. 2025
In failing to include governance in their future visions, the world’s rulers demonstrate a planetwide lack of imagination in local democracy and government.
—Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
The current study’s solution shows that similar tricks could work for atoms in solids, potentially leading to sensors that act like the tiniest rulers imaginable.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025
The Hanukkah celebration dates back to the second century BC when Greek rulers tried to force Jews to abandon their religion and adapt to Greek cultural practices instead.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rulers
Noun
-
That those women and men who died to end slavery, to win basic rights, to win the vote, to dethrone monarchs and destroy the ancien régime, to fight Czarism and fascism and Nazism and imperialism and apartheid, were in some way our moral betters.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Each year, millions of monarchs migrate from Canada and the United States to the oyamel fir trees of Michoacán and Estado de México.—
Gaby Keiderling,
Robb Report,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Transport yourself back in time to the days where kings and queens ruled, and see over 100 daily shows.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Sitting for a portrait was once reserved for the elite, with kings, queens, and nobility commissioning grand works to immortalize themselves and assert their authority.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Credit rating agencies are sharpening their focus on climate vulnerability, raising questions about whether sectors or sovereigns with large protection gaps could face higher borrowing costs.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Each coin is effectively a miniature billboard of power – emperors, gods, temples, and battle scenes, all in the highest artistic form of the ancient world.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Still, the Jews chafed under Roman rule and finally rebelled in 66 CE, a revolt which invited the wrath of the Roman legions led by future emperors Vespasian and his son Titus.—
Jacob Jones,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rulers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rulers. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share